Wrestling Battles to Victory at Bucknell

Saturday, January 29

Lewisburg, PA

2 PM

Army West Point

Bucknell

Wrestling Battles to Victory at Bucknell

January 29, 2022 | Wrestling

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Though the score was tied up with just three matches left, the Army West Point wrestling team's gutsy performances down the stretch helped it secure a 21-12 victory at Bucknell on Saturday afternoon.

The trio of Thomas Deck (141), Matthew Williams (149) and No. 29 Markus Hartman (157) posted three-straight decisions to help the Black Knights (1-6, 1-1 EIWA) pick up their first win of the year while handing the Bison (10-3, 6-1 EIWA) their first conference loss.

Army's clash with Bucknell was close from the start, as the teams split the opening two bouts. After the Bison kicked off the competition with a decision at 165 pounds, Ben Pasiuk (174) pinned his opponent at 4:16 to hand the Black Knights a 6-3 advantage.

Brad Laughlin and No. 26 J.T. Brown then teamed up to push Army's edge to 12-3 with back-to-back decisions at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively. Laughlin's dual was nearly awarded to the Bison, but the senior used a takedown in the final 30 seconds to get the win.

Though Army had the momentum through the start of the match, Bucknell controlled the action in the middle. A last-minute takedown in the heavyweight battle awarded the Bison their first win since the opening bout and from there, the home team continued to compile winning results as a pair of victories at 125 and 133 pounds knotted up the team scores at 12-12.

With the overall result still up for grabs, resiliency proved to be the difference-maker for the Cadets. Deck set the tone in his battle, as the sophomore overcame a deficit in the final 90 seconds before earning a 7-2 decision over No. 20 Darren Miller, handing the Bison his first dual loss of the season. Williams then continued the scoring with an 8-5 result in his first dual appearance of the year before Hartman closed things out with an 8-2 decision.

Army is now 16-4 all-time against Bucknell, having won each of the teams' past five meetings. Since 2012, the Black Knights have limited the Bison to 12 points or less in six different contests.

Complete results are listed below.

Coach's Corner
"Thought today was a tough gritty win for our guys. Proud of them for finding a way to gut out wins against a really good team. We've dealt with so much adversity this month and I'm proud of our team for finding a way to use the adversity to make them stronger." - Head Coach Kevin Ward

Cadets' Corner
"I feel pretty good with my performance. It was at a big point in the dual and I knew I had to step up and do my part. As a team we're starting to see the results of all the training we have been through. I'm for my excited for my brothers to get it done again next week." - Thomas Deck

"I was really proud of the performance from my team and I today. I thought we went out, wrestled hard, and got business done. I was pleased with myself for not getting rattled in certain situations and for staying calm and wrestling my style, which helped lead to two pins for the day. I'm excited for what the future has in store for the entire team." - Ben Pasiuk

Results
165: #17 Zach Hartman (BU) dec. over #28 Dalton Harkins (ARMY) 6-2
174: Ben Pasiuk (ARMY) fall over Nolan Springer (BU) 4:16
184: Brad Laughlin (ARMY) dec. over Logan Deacetis (BU) 5-3
197: #26 J.T. Brown (ARMY) dec. over Mason McCready (BU) 6-1
285: Luke Niemeyer (BU) dec. over Brandon Phillips (ARMY) 4-3
125: Brandon Seidman (BU) dec. over Ryan Chauvin (ARMY) 3-2
133: Kurt Phipps (BU) dec. over Dominic Carone (ARMY) 5-0
141: Thomas Deck (ARMY) dec. over #20 Darren Miller (BU) 7-2
149: Matthew Williams (ARMY) dec. over Kolby DePron (BU) 8-5
157: #29 Markus Hartman (ARMY) dec. over Nick Delp (BU) 8-2

What's Next
Army Wrestling will return to West Point in preparation for its first and only home dual of the 2021-22 season, as the team is set to host Lehigh on Sunday, Feb. 6 at Christl Arena. The Black Knights and the Mountain Hawks' match, which is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start time, will be preceded by a senior day ceremony that will see head coach Kevin Ward and his staff honor the Class of 2022.

Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point Wrestling, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_Wres and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.